Research and design of an embedded controller and GUI for the automation of the armature Volt-Drop test.

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Abstract

In a rapidly evolving technological and industrialised society, automation is a current
and growing trend. The concept is typically applied to uneconomical processes and
extends from the automation of highly complex processes to those that are less
complex. This dissertation discusses the automation of a previously mundane, manual,
time-consuming and inefficient task using an embedded controller with dual enhanced
microcontrollers as its core. Spoornet recognised the need to automate this and other
processes hence a drive was initiated by Spoornet’s Engineering and Technology
department into the study of automation principles and techniques that can be used as
a basis for the automation of workshops and test centers. This research stems from the
above mentioned drive.
The Volt-Drop Test was the process that was used as a model to investigate the
considerations, boundaries, design concepts and the hardware and software
development that is inherent in the automation of a process. The design of the
controller that facilitates the automation of the Volt-Drop Test was completed after
research into embedded systems, embedded microcontrollers, programming languages
and techniques, digital electronics, analogue electronics, digital system design
concepts and techniques, analogue system design concepts and techniques, and the
latest available electronic components.
A Graphic User Interface (GUI) was developed to interface with the controller to set
up test parameters, display the present test status, perform calculations on the data
received from the controller and display faults in the armature under test. Further, the
GUI has the functionality to save all test data in a predefined and secure location to be
retrieved and viewed as historical data or used for trending. A Remote Graphic User
Interface (RGUI) was also developed. This interface is used solely to view test data
(retrieved from the saved history files), from any geographic location provided that
the user has been granted access to the secure location in which this data is saved.
In the testing phase, all tests were carried out using high quality, high accuracy and
recently calibrated instrumentation. The test results obtained largely reflected what
was expected from the system when compared to simulations that were carried out on
the controller and the GUI during their development. With regard to the automation
process, the system follows the procedure as it was designed with respect to correct
switching sequences, response to system errors, timing of events and correct and
efficient communication between the controller and the GUI. In terms of the data
acquisition aspects the system captures, converts, calculates, analyses and logs data,
within the expected input range with a level of accuracy that is considered to be high
(a maximum percentage error of 0.75% - expressed as a percentage of the injected test
supply) for this type of application when compared to the accuracy of present test
methods.